Serial killings of young women in Vhembe villages

Vhembe district in the far north of Limpopo province has in recent weeks been jarred by the abduction and cruel killing of women and children by unknown perpetrators.

Since August this year, three young women and one toddler have been reportedly abducted and murdered in a cruel way. All the victims’ bodies were found within rural villages in Vhembe with body parts missing.

The latest victim

Nineteen-year-old Mulisa Ramunangi from Phiphidi, outside of Thohoyandou is the latest victim. She was first reported missing on the 13th of September 2025, after she boarded a taxi to Thohoyandou. Her lifeless body was found a week later, floating in a river by Muledane village, more than 30 kilometres from her home. Limpopo police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Vuledzani Dathi confirmed that parts of her body were missing, which he described in gruesome detail.

The teenager’s death remains a mystery to both her family, local communities and the police. “Our investigations are still on-going as we are eager to find out what happened to her and to arrest all the perpetrators,” Dathi said.

Family‘s pain

At this stage, it remains unclear who the perpetrators behind the abduction and murder of Mulisa are. Her uncle, Lutendo Ramunangi told Elitsha that she did nothing to invite her fate. “We are hurt as a family. What happened to my niece is so cruel. She was still so young and she does not deserve to die in such a cruel manner. We are banking on the police to investigate and bring the perpetrators to the book of law,” says Ramunangi.

The young Mulisa was an orphan, having lost both her parents years ago. She was not attending any school as she was taking a gap year after matriculating. Her uncle told Elitsha that his niece was planning to enrol for a tertiary qualification next year. “She had so many dreams which included going back to school next year, but some cruel people just decided to take her life away. All this is so painful. Why did they kill her? What did she do to them?” cried Ramunangi.

More victims

But Mulisa is not the only victim of such a cruel murder in Vhembe. In August this year, 34-year-old Rendani Tshigwili’s lifeless body was found with body parts missing. Her two-year-old daughter was killed as well, also butchered.

Dathi confirmed that several suspects linked to Tshigwili and her toddler’s deaths have been arrested and have already appeared a few times before the Thohoyandou magistrates court. The suspects include Tshigwili’s husband and a local traditional healer.

In another cruel incident, in early September, the lifeless body of a woman in her early twenties was found floating in a river by Itsani village, outside of Thohoyandou. Police again made the grisly statement that her body had been mutilated.

Vanished 3 years ago

Fiona Matodzi, also of Itsani village, went missing without a trace 3 years ago when she was 9 years old. Her family and local communities have held several protests outside the Thohoyandou police station to demand answers on what is being done to find their missing daughter.

Matodzi’s mother, Tshilidzi Mufunwaini told Elitsha that as a family they have submitted all the information they had about Fiona but they believe that the police are not doing enough to find her. “It is so painful knowing that we have shared almost every detail with the police but it’s been years now and still they do not have any clues of where my daughter might be,” says Mufunwaini.

In an interview with the media, in June this year, Limpopo police commissioner for crime detection, General Samuel Manala said that a dangerous syndicate which attacks, robs and kidnaps vulnerable women is believed to be behind a string of crimes in Limpopo.

Praying for divine intervention

Vhembe-based pastor, Jacob Netshiozwi, told Elitsha that the district needs to host a prayer session to seek divine intervention. “We need to come together as a district and pray for peace. We need God guidance on how we can protect our women and children. Every day, we hear stories that a woman or a child has been abducted or killed,” says Netshiozwi.

Nelson Tshipise is a traditional healer, who sells various herbs at the heart of the Thohoyandou shopping complex. He told Elitsha that professional healers do not kill people for ritual purposes. “Some of our people have got a wrong mentality as they believe that using a person’s body parts can do certain things to their lives such as make them rich. It is so wrong and it is something which needs to change as we cannot continue losing our loved ones through barbaric acts of some misinformed people,” said Tshipise.